


A Man Of A Fish

by DeathDirt



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Explicit Rating, M/M, because everybody wants a fish boy to have sex with a dragon boy, mermaid!au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-09 18:22:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11110254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathDirt/pseuds/DeathDirt
Summary: Pulling nets is temporary, Hanzo repeats to himself.The smell, the heavy loads, the tedious and repetitive work. All of it is temporary. Either until he dies or he gets out of Japan. Preferably the latter, but at this point he'd accept either. Another one is coming up now, slowly and steadily. Then a voice. Not behind him, not to his side, not even on the boat at all. In the net."Hey there, darlin'. Mind lettin' me outta this thing?"





	1. Wrong Kind of Fish

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [MerMay](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/296826) by crocodiller on tumblr. 



> *cries* I can't finish anything. Anyway...more McHanzo, less girls, also there's gonna be a spin-off fic after this one is done. I hope you enjoy while I waste away.
> 
> Just like my other McHanzo, this one's not gonna get updated as often until I finish my other stuff. I'm sorry, but it's how the world must work

Pulling nets is temporary, Hanzo repeats to himself.

The smell, the heavy loads, the tedious and repetitive work. All of it is temporary. Either until he dies or he gets out of Japan. Preferably the latter, but at this point he'd accept either. Another one is coming up now, slowly and steadily. Then a voice. Not behind him, not to his side, not even on the boat at all. In the net. 

"Hey there, darlin'. Mind lettin' me outta this thing?" At first, Hanzo is assuming that it is just someone out swimming that didn't notice the net being pulled up. But when he turns to tell the ignorant idiot to stay out of commercial waters, he is stunned into wide-eyed silence. Most of it is human. Well, half. However, the other half...it's a fish. Or fish-like. And now Hanzo is wondering if perhaps his infrequent meals are catching up to him, making him see things that weren't there. To check, he rubs his eyes, hoping to see just another pile of fish when he looks back. Nope. Still the strange half-fish, half-man. "Uh... I'd be mighty thankful. Y'know, if you could let me out."

Hanzo wants desperately to drop the whole net, load and all, even at the expense of this job, just to be rid of the...the thing in the net. It's not supposed to be there. Nothing is supposed to talk back. Whatever it is, it's unwanted. Being the only worker willing to work at just about every hour of day and night, nobody is out on the deck to see this but Hanzo. Quickly as he can manage on his own, the man hauls the mesh net onto the deck, and dumps it into the hold below, catching the fish man as he slides out. Only one hand is grabbing his arm, which Hanzo finds a little disturbing, until he sees that the fish man only _has_ one hand to grab with. His left arm is severed into a scarred stump midway down his bicep.

"Thank ya kindly, darlin'. I 'preciate it." Hanzo doesn't want to hold the fish man too close in case he might be found out or what have you. Whichever way, it probably wouldn't look good if anyone came up to see him covered in fish mucus, which the fish man had plenty of. Or his bottom half did. His top half wasn't quite so slick, but Hanzo could still feel something wet that wasn't water coating his skin. He was still holding the fish man. Holding him. Bridal-style.

There would be quite some explaining to do if he was caught now.

What was he going to do with him, though? The deck was too far above the water for Hanzo to safely slip him back in, yet the only other place for him to go was somewhere that any of the other workers could go at any moment and see him. Drawled words suddenly jerked him out of his thoughts. "If ya wanna just stick me back in off the side'a your boat, I won't mind. I'll hafta dangle a little but...you feel like you got strong arms." Wait, was he...flirting? If it could be properly called that... "We are too far above the water. You will hurt yourself if I try to put you back in." Indignantly huffing, the fish man (merman?) began to wiggle fervently against the Japanese man's hold. Despite how he had felt in Hanzo's arms, the merman was surprisingly strong, able to flop himself to the deck in a matter of seconds. "I might now, since I gotta drop all the way, but it ain't like there's much here that'll take a bite outta little ol' me. So, beggin' yer pardon-" 

The merman pulled himself up over the rail of the boat, about to flip over the side when Hanzo caught his tail. Slick, just like a fish, but with a bit more muscle beneath it than he expected. "'Ey now, let go'a me! Tryin' ta get back in the water, not out of it!"  


"You are going to hurt yourself unnecessarily," Hanzo insisted through grit teeth, digging his fingers into the merman's tail so he could hold onto him, undeterred by his thrashing. "If you must get back in immediately, I will help you." Keeping his grip on the mer's tail, Hanzo lowered him as far over the side of the boat as he dared, nearly dangling himself over along with the fish man. "Lemme slip a bit," he called up. His squirming began again, although not so furiously that his rescuer lost his grasp. 

Slowly, he slipped further and further out of Hanzo's hands, until all the man was holding on to was the narrow point before the merman's fin which, he thought, looked rather ragged for how young its owner appeared. "You can let go now, darlin'. Think I can manage myself from here." Unconvinced, the archer reluctantly loosened his hold on the merman's tail until he was dropping into the water. Expectedly, he hit the surface with a loud smack, then floated there, face contorted with pain. Hanzo could only drum his fingers on the rail of the boat. "What did I tell him," he muttered. The fish man shook it off, allowing the cool water to wash the pain out. Looking up now, Hanzo could get a better view of his face. It was mostly human, scruffy facial hair that managed not to look entirely uncared for, dark brown eyes, then mid-length hair, glistening by the soft moonlight. Rugged appearance, something that the fisher probably could stand to have around most hours of the day.

You know...if the face wasn't attached to half of a fish body. "Thanks, darlin'! I'll do ya a favor an' try a little harder not to get caught up in on'a yer nets next time!" A grin flashed, showing impossibly white teeth before the mer disappeared with a flick of his tail. Hanzo felt much more tired than he should have after such a simple ordeal. It hadn't even taken very long to free the fish man and get him back in the water. All of about five minutes, really. Nevertheless, he was suddenly feeling dead on his feet. Resulting, perhaps, because of his irregular, inoften mealtimes. Most days, he was lucky to pull through work with only a nap or two snuck in at intervals to keep him going.

Having had to deal with a thrashing, indignant merman sapped what strength he had left. Obvious fact aside - that he'd just saved a merman for whatever reason - Hanzo felt as if the night was just like any other. One more nap would probably hold him through the rest of the night, collect his pay in the morning when they docked, then sleep down in the cabin until they left again. That was the monthly cycle he suffered through. But it was necessary.

One way or another, he had to leave Japan. If not, well...he'd be dead. Complications that he didn't want to go over at the moment. Instead of staying on deck long enough to fall over the edge and join the possibly-imaginary fish man in the water, Hanzo dragged himself down to the hold where the workers slept. He usually hated the swaying of the beds down here, nothing but the scent of thirty other men and their sweat to calm a raging stomach, but tonight he was tired enough that he didn't care. Nope, he just slid into the one bed that was always empty, stripped off the thick jacket that was now covered in merman mucus, and passed into dreamless sleep.

 

"Alright boys, off you get. See you in a week." Most of the men tromped off the boat in good spirits, off to see their wives and children and other such relatives. Hanzo, however, stayed behind, happy to watch the boat for the captain for some extra pay while the older man went off to see his own family. So far, he'd managed to cut back his spending to a few cheap meals here and there to get him through the week. Hanzo was always very precise with his money. Counting it up now, he put aside the necessary funds that would get him his food for the next week, which was putting his savings at...a whole 7600 yen. Not even close enough for a single plane ticket. _It will be enough_ , he thought to himself as he stuffed the small sum into his safe bag, _So long as I maintain this, I can leave within two months._ Hopefully.

For now, Hanzo gathered up his yen and walked off to the city to see about some cheap food. Something to take his mind off the merman who, for some reason, he just couldn't keep his mind away from. Every time he drifted off into his own thoughts, it was the drawling merman that occupied his head. Legends of mer-creatures were common everywhere, even reports of some people capturing them, but the fact that he had just calmly went about freeing one from a net not twelve hours ago was completely mind-boggling. If he could find somewhere, Hanzo decided to read up while he could. Perhaps he could prevent another incident in the future with the nets, because one mer-creature had been one too many for him.

As he walked across the shipyard, parallel to the water, Hanzo could swear he heard the occasional gasp or muttered word. His malnourished brain. That was it. Just creating things to jump away from. Little time passed before the soft mumbles began to turn into splashes. Small still, but very clearly splashes of water.

Just fish. Something small. Nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. "Hey darlin'! Hey! C'mere a quick second!" No. That is not a drawling cowboy voice. That is his imagination. Entirely his imagination. Including the big splash of freezing cold, fish-stinking water that's thrown onto his legs. "Heeeey!" God he can't take it anymore. Hanzo glances over to see the merman - exactly the same one as before, severed limb and scruffy beard and all - hanging off the dock by his arm and a half, wearing a wide grin all the while. "What do you want?" He snaps, ready for the game to end. "Wanted to say thank ya proper, 'fore I took off again. And for not bringin' a whole search party down to gut me an' all that."

Hanzo paused, staring at the still-grinning fish man. "Why would I go to the trouble to capture you after I bothered to release you last night?" The half-fish shrugs. He sets his chin on his arms, looking quite content with himself, and begins to hum. "Dunno. Just know that you people tend ta like catchin' my kin, for our dead bodies or our live ones. Dead, in my case."  


"Why would that be?"  


"Live bodies you people want are all girls. Don't know if you could tell, but..." The merman gestured to what little body that Hanzo could see. "I don't think I'd be good enough for ya, even if I was a girl." Was that referring to Hanzo specifically or people in general? From the mer's expression it was hard to tell. 

"Yer mighty pretty, if ya don't mind me sayin'." He'd been about to leave when the merman dared to open his mouth again. Looking back at him, he had a sort of dreamy look in his eyes, and Hanzo wonders if he hasn't been caught near one too many exhaust pipes for a few days. "I do mind."  


"Alrighty, then. I'll take it back, but yer still way prettier than most other humans I've seen." _And I am sure you have seen your share, haven't you?_ bitterly thought the ex-yakuza as he stepped towards the dock. "Name's Jesse, by the way. If ya care enough ta remember it." Hanzo nodded, suddenly curious as to how a mer would properly name itself. "Jesse. You are...American?"  


"Suppose I am. Don't rightly know how all of ya sort yerselves out, but I come from the Gulf of Mexico, if that helps at all. That's what I think it is. Like I said, I don't know how you people sort yourselves out."

If nothing else, he certainly speaks like an American. A little loud and obnoxious, plus that old western drawl to really pull the image together. Hanzo could picture the human half of the merman in a cowboy hat with boots and chaps and revolver. Though, Hanzo must admit, he at least acts a little smarter than most Americans. From what little he's heard of the rumors of mercreatures being caught, it usually was the females kept as concubines while the males, unless they were young, were harvested for their bodies' worth, from their scales to their very bones. Those were very basic, though, and almost common knowledge.

The merman could've just heard it from another fishing vessel, in all likelihood. "Why, then, are you here in Japan?" Jesse had started to wriggle his way onto the dock, currently paused to catch his breath when Hanzo asks. "Hm? Oh. Wanderin', mostly. What most 'f my kind do. Can't settle anywhere so we just like to roam from place to place as we please. Makes for some good fun, if ya find the right company, but lots of 'em are shy folk. Don't like to leave their little hidey-holes in case they get caught." Understandable. It was exactly what Hanzo was doing now. Hiding until it was absolutely necessary to leave.

"Why did you get caught in my net, then? If you are a wanderer, as you claim, then you should know how to avoid nets like those." Modestly turning away, Jesse chuckled under his breath before answering, still quietly, "I'll be honest with ya, I ain't been movin' around for very long. Couple years, I think, and I ain't left the Atlantic til a couple months ago." A young one, then. Maybe...if he could grab him and hold onto him, Hanzo could carry him to the nearest buyer. It would provide him with enough to leave, and then some...

No. He still had some semblance of honor left. Stooping to such a level as selling another human's body like it was nothing but meat was a detestable thought. No matter how annoying the merman seemed, he didn't deserve such a fate. "Do you intend to stay?" He didn't mean to ask that. Too late to take it back. "For a little while. Kinda like this place. People all seem pretty nice. ...D'ya want me to?"  


"Me?" He nodded, and a near-transparent lid slid over his eyes. Shudder-inducing, with the veins and milky glaze it gave to his eyes. "You asked. Nobody else knows 'm here, 'less you told someone." Truthfully, he had not. Hanzo believed that divulging the existence of a merman in his net would either label him psychotic or mount an investigation that he did not wish to deal with.

But did he really want the mer to stay? It'd be more likely for him to be caught the longer he stayed, though the archer wasn't sure why he cared so much. "No. I do not care whether you stay or leave." Jesse nodded, drumming his knuckles on the wood. Warped, twisted from years of wear without a caring hand to keep it up. Same could be said of him, he figured. "Gotcha. I'll probably hang around fer a while, but I'll be gone in a month or two. Ain't a problem, is it?"  


"No."  


"Good. Wouldn't wanna piss off the guy that saved me from gettin' turned into cat food." Another cheeky grin and Jesse slid off the dock. Did...did any of that...

Food. Hanzo needed food. Now.


	2. (Fish) Men Never Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo really just wants to put the fish man behind him. It never happened, he never saw a one-armed merman in his net, none of it. But every time he tries to forget, there's a little cowboy voice that reminds him... Nope. Not in heaven or hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to go with a more 'Hanzo ALMOST killed Genji but without all the dragons and cool shit' approach to his background in this fic, and without the cool cyborg stuff, just 'oh no, it's the year 2080 he kind of stabbed his brother but it'S THE FUCKING YEAR 2080'

If nothing else, Hanzo is, for once, grateful for the trip into the market he has to make. Most of the time, he loathes them entirely, between the thought of spending what he's saved so far and catching sight of his old clan, but now, he actually finds himself enjoying time away from the boat. From the water entirely, if he's being honest.

The very thought of the merman reappearing keeps Hanzo away from the docks for most of the day. He doesn't do anything in particular, just wanders around the small town he's managed to nestle himself into and watches the people stroll by, unaware of his existence. Being invisible to the people around him is both relieving and stinging to Hanzo. Relief because he knew that being so transparent was a good skill to carry with him when he found himself in trouble. Sting because he spent so many years being the center of attention that the opposite felt strange.

Neither was able to keep him from going back to the docks at the end of the day. He was paid to watch the boat after all. No sense in giving the captain a reason to stop when he was getting so close to his goal. Walking back through the shipyard was just as bad as it had been a few hours earlier. The only difference was a slightly satisfied appetite and a slightly buffered fear of finding Jesse aga- 

No. No, no, no, he did _not_ just remember the merman's name. He did not. Jesse was no more than an afterthought. Despite his attempts at being otherwise. Hanzo was on the boat again, looking over the equipment when, just as he had on his way into the small seaside town, he began to splash and make himself known. God if that western cowboy drawl wasn't one of the strangest, most irritating things about him. Aside from the fact that he insisted on sticking around when he'd said he was going to leave. Against all better judgement, Hanzo peered over the side of the boat and, surely enough, there was Jesse, ruddy brown scales flashing in the cloud-muddled daylight. He groaned out loud, not at all afraid of showing just how unhappy he was at the mer's return. "What is it?" He snapped at the insistent splashing. "Wanted to see ya again!" 

"You said you were leaving." 

"I know, I did," the mer admitted sheepishly, rubbing his remaining hand across the back of his neck, "But I wanted ta see ya again before ya left." Hanzo lofted a brow at this. Him? No human really waited or cared to see him, much less anything that was otherwise, even before he resorted to fishing. Afterwards, people were just further repulsed by his smell. "What do you want?" Jesse seemed to take offense, crossing his arms and...was he puffing his cheeks? Perhaps he really was young. Or just excessively immature. 

For a moment Hanzo is reminded of his little brother before he shoves the thought aside. He's put all of that behind him. It kills him, how he left his brother for dead after literally ripping him to shreds, but so long as he just doesn't think of it...honestly, he doesn't understand how he hasn't driven himself insane. "I done told ya, now're you gonna pull me up or not?" The fisher has to stare for a moment. "You want...up here?" The mer indignantly huffs then starts to drift his way along the edge of the boat, feeling the sides with his hand like he's looking for something. "Well ya don't expect me to start talkin' to the fishes, do ya? Don't exactly make pleasant conversation." 

"I also do not expect you to make conversation with me," Hanzo muttered under his breath. Following Jesse around the perimeter of the deck, he stops at the side ladder to the boat. It's just a set of metal rungs attached to the side in case one of the small life boats needed to be lowered down. But Hanzo's sure that the merman will attempt climbing it anyway. And he does. Admittedly, it was quite amusing at first to watch the half-man flop his tail around for some semblance of balance while he attempted the climb with an arm and a half. For about fifteen minutes he tries, each time flopping back into the water with a pronounced splash until he's huffing and puffing. 

Yet still going. 

Finally Hanzo decides he's seen enough of the pitiable display. Reluctantly so, he grabs one of the nets and tosses it over. The man considers himself to be fairly strong, in spite of his recent malnutrition, so he's confident that he can pull a most-likely 250 pound merman up fifteen or so feet onto the deck. A moment of struggling gets Jesse nestled into the net. He tugs on the mesh as signal to lift him up, which Hanzo does (bitterly and not at all enjoyably). 

One quick heave with the net bunched in his fists, then the fish man's body flops unceremoniously onto the deck of the boat. For the second time in thirty-six hours. Hanzo is suddenly hoping that this doesn't become a pattern. "Well now, ain't I seen you someplace before?" With a cheeky grin, Jesse untangles himself from the net without waiting for Hanzo to get over his slight shock of willingly pulling a merman onto the boat he's been working on for the past six months. The human can honestly think of nothing to say. "Where did you learn to speak that way?" It's the only thing he can coherently think about. He's drawing blanks everywhere else. What does one even do when they pull a merman onto their boat for company? 

"Picked it up from the folks I used ta live with. Guess I lived with 'em so long I just got used to it." The prospect of cowboy-talking mermaids was simultaneously entertaining and painful to think of. "You are here. Now what do you want from me?" "Just a talk. Don't even gotta be about anythin' in particular. I just wanna listen to ya." Hanzo blinked several times before the words properly registered. Rolling over the details - a western-drawling merman he'd caught a few nights ago wished to come onto the boat he was watching without any other premise than to talk with him - and now he couldn't help but snort, holding his head in his hand as it shook. There was no other explanation than he was going insane. "Is that so?" May as well humor the spiral to madness while he could. 

Jesse nodded, wriggling a little closer to the man who'd saved his life not so long ago. "Yep. Got a nice voice. Won't do nothin' too bad 'cuz I'm sure you got a woman to go home to and whatnot. Bet she's the happiest gal on land if she gets to hear ya every day." God, is he flirting again? Hanzo hopes this isn't flirting. He hopes this is just some strange meeting/friendship ritual among merpeople that's just being muddled by the monstrosity of a cultural barrier. 

Just his luck! It's not. 

Evidenced by how Jesse is creeping slowly towards his feet, able to just get his head up to Hanzo's midsection by balancing on the thickest part of his tail where it meets his body. And he's staring with the most adorable puppy-eyes the world could ever see. "I live alone. On this boat." You'd think he'd just told the merman that he was a summoned demon. "No way! Ain't no way yer all alone! Nobody can be pretty as you an' not have somebody. My old man was uglier than a fuckin' angler and _he_ even had a guy. Black scales an' bad attitude somehow got 'im a pretty boy from inland. Wait, is that yer problem? Lookin' for a gent an' not a lady?" This was almost more adorable than when Genji brought home a box of cats and begged their father to let them stay. 

It was a close second, though. "No. My problem is that I will not be staying in this fish-stinking town for more than a few months. I intend to fly to the mainland." Like flipping a switch, the mer went from incredibly excited and jubilant to almost depressed in a single handful of words. Perhaps it shouldn't have surprised him, seeing as how excitable Jesse had been thus far. "Most do not find me appealing." _Why are you still talking, look at him, he was about to leave, why did you keep talking?_ "They think I am too harsh." _You_ baka _, he doesn't need to know this! Stop talking!_ "And tend to find my voice as...how was it worded in my last rejection? 'Jagged as broken coral upon mountainous crags'. Poetic, when simply telling me off would have had her killed." _OROKA OROKA OROKA OROKA OROKA OROKA ORO..._

The brick-colored scales seemed to ripple as he laughed, hearty and without restraint. In reality, he was beating his tail on the deck with how hard he laughed, gripping his middle with his hand for some comfort, perhaps. "Aw, c'mon now, that's just plain mean," he said after finally getting a grip on himself. "Yer 'bout as jagged as dolphin skin. Saved me, didn't ya?" _Yes, and I'm currently on the run from my entire clan, who are hunting me as punishment for killing my own brother as we speak._ Best to leave it unsaid. Who was he to ruin a man's - er...fish's? - fun. 

"I saved you because I did not wish to have a swarm of poor fishermen on me to _sell_ you." Jesse's grin faltered for a moment, almost like he was shocked at this. "As it was, you should consider yourself lucky that I have enough semblance of honor that I did not sell you _myself_ since any single part of you could have me on the next plane out of this country." Unfortunately, his cheerfulness returned in a split second. "S'pose I am," He replied, missing the implied threat entirely, "But that oughta mean that yer even better'n I thought, huh?" Most people would have laughed at him, scooped him up, and dragged him off to sell him at the nearest opportunity. Hanzo was horrifically stupid, so he did not. That's what he thought to himself, anyway. "Are you done listening to me?" _Or more appropriately, ignoring all of my attempts to make you leave?_ "If yer gettin' all tuckered out from gabbin' with me then I'll be on m' way. Just say so." 

"Please." 

"Alrighty then. Guess I'll be seein' ya some other time then?" _Preferably not._ Just as he had helped Jesse onto the boat, Hanzo lowered him slowly back into the water, not bothering to wave back when the merman did so before he dove back into the water. With any luck, then this would be the last time he saw the merman. Hanzo, however, possesses no luck. Not at the moment, anyhow...

 

It'd only been a week since the boat had set out to sea once again. The nets were coming up full, the hold was starting to swell with catches, and Hanzo felt surprisingly well because he hadn't seen Jesse for over a week! A tiny part of him wanted to admit that he missed him... But that tiny part was shoved into a dark hole where it would be viciously ignored until the end of days. Two and a half visits was quite enough to satisfy Hanzo's curiosity of merfolk for a lifetime.

He was about to find out, however, that Jesse was of a different mind.

The trawling nets were out, slowly being pulled back by the boat as it trucked along at its slow clip, when suddenly the captain was yelling for everybody off the deck. "Go on, down below, all of you!" His short white hair was becoming unruly from the harsh winds that were starting to pick up, determined, apparently, to make him look like a true sea captain. Most of the sailors tromped down below without question. Hanzo was at the back when he heard the drawl of a certain fish man. It was just at the stern, behind the small cabin that sheltered the staircase that led to the sailors' quarters below deck. The captain was prowling along the sides of the boat, glaring down at the water. 

What if he'd seen Jesse? Hanzo didn't have the capacity to wonder why he cared. Maybe he just didn't want to see the utter work he'd put into the fish man go to waste because of a greedy American. Maybe he actually felt bad for being a possible factor in his capture. Whatever the reason was, Hanzo settled on the very general idea that he was feeling unusually selfless, so he snuck around to the stern, peered over. And surely enough, there was the mer. 

Hanzo aggressively waved him away, but he was having none of it. Jesse was just happy rolling his eyes, pretending not to listen. Storm clouds bunched up in the sky above them. Before long, the rain would come down hard. That would drive both the captain and the merman away into their respective homes. So long as he could just keep the childish mer occupied...

The boat suddenly pitched forward. Hanzo slid back, slamming into the metal plates of the cabin. Swinging around the corner, the captain stared for a moment before laying right into the young man. Neither realized the violent motions of the boat until the prow slid upwards on a particularly large wave, eventually sending both of them slipping around on the seawater-soaked deck. The captain had the insight to grab onto the spare mesh netting on the back of the cabin, so he half-dangled without much personal issue. Hanzo, however, was nearly flung off the stern, only able to save himself by gripping the flimsy railing that was barely bolted into place and flipping over with practiced agility. Much as he didn't want to, he looked down to the frothing water, foaming like a wild animal at being denied another victim, where Jesse frantically darted back and forth, slicing through the water with as much ease as any other predator in the sea.

"Leave!" Hanzo could've shouted it over the roaring surf, but he somehow thought that a strained whisper could reach Jesse. Apparently it did, because he vanished beneath the foaming sea. Without warning, hands were on his wrists, gripping tightly and tugging Hanzo back on board. Out of pure instinct, he went slack for a split second, then launched into an all-out frenzy to escape. "Enough! Unless you want to drown, that is!" 

Gruff and weather-beaten - the captain never did lose his rough charm. The older man dragged Hanzo back onto the deck, then pulled him into the sailors' quarters below. Before the younger could et past the landing to the safety of the swaying, nauseating beds, the captain grabbed him, bright blue eyes shimmering with fiery fury. "What the hell was that?!" If he had not been a trained yakuza, Hanzo would have stuttered under the man's snarling gaze. As it was, he calmly adjusted his sleeves before answering, equally as composed, "I thought I saw a sailor fall off the rail. Not unlike myself."

"Was it worth nearly falling into the sea when it's storming like it is?" Rather than dignify it with an answer, Hanzo simply tipped his chin up ever so slightly, turned on his heel, and marched straight to his own bed. He was quick to undress and as settled in as he could get during such a rough night.

 

With the light of the next morning barely showing through the still-dispersing cloud cover, Hanzo was awake, dressed and pulling up the trawling nets that were still attached to their proper places. Thankfully, only a few had been lost with the storm's sudden onslaught. Nets could be replaced. Loads of fish could not. Luckily, most of the nets had been empty due to the storm anyway, so if they lost anything it was forgivable.

The captain was absent from the deck, which Hanzo silently thanked his heavy alcoholism for. As the old saying went, the only thing that drank more than him was a fish, and even that was up for debate. It kept him away nonetheless, which the young fisher found himself grateful for at the moment, for he had no desire to deal with the captain at the moment. Having simply walked away from him after he attempted to give him a verbal lashing was something not many of the other sailors were capable of.

For having a very military-esque background, he was in an odd place. Doubly so when taking into account his home country. He was from the US Army. Not even Marines or Navy or anything to do with boats and water. 

Whatever the reason, whatever the case, whatever the issue, Hanzo cared no further than the elder man's role in relation to his own job. And, for a while, his attention to the water. It was a little concerning just how focused his sight was on the water the night before, and whether it was jealousy driving him to do it or an odd bout of selflessness, Hanzo was determined to keep him away from Jesse. But that would be a bridge to burn when he got to it.

Right now he had other matters to attend to. Like an overly friendly merman who'd looked scared to death when Hanzo had nearly been thrown into the sea. He was hovering by the side ladder, gazing up expectantly. Hanzo was not going to drag him up now, with the whole crew on board, even if they were asleep. Carefully so, he climbed down, rung by rain-slicked rung, until he was at water level. The most he could do was situate himself facing away from the boat, hands securely yet awkwardly gripping the metal behind him while he met with the fish man.

"You feelin' okay there, darlin'?" Hanzo had spaced for a moment, so he jerked himself back to reality. "Hm? Oh, yes. I am fine. Why did you come so close to the boat and the nets last night?" Jesse turned away for a moment, looking a bit meek. "Well ya see... Part of it was tryin' ta practice avoidin' them big nets." He looked up and, seeing that Hanzo was unmoved by this, continued. "'Nother part was tryin' ta snatch myself up a free meal here 'n there. Figured if yer draggin' up so many anyway, a couple missin' fish won't hurt ya none." True, but once again, Hanzo did not seem satisfied with his answer. The merman sighed, then admitted, red-faced, "I also wanted ta check up on ya, maybe warn ya 'bout the storm 'fore it hit."

 _That_ was a believable answer. Or at least more believable than the other two. An idea struck that Hanzo knew was the most likely case, though didn't want to find out to be true. "Jesse. Do you wish for company?" If he'd been red before, he was on _fire_ now. The poor mer wasn't entirely sure what to do with himself except sink a few inches further into the water. "M-maybe I am, y'know. Never quite know with those kinds'a things, how much ya want, but I mean..." After a moment of thought, he realized he'd gone from rambling to utter silence. And that had proven, on multiple occasions, to put people on edge. "Sorry, just thinkin'. But yeah, y'know, I wouldn't mind a little companionship. Just for a l'il bit now, don't you be gettin' any ideas on me."

"Who said I was offering?" Ohhh, that smug, almost-mocking smirk could kill a half-breed. Jesse would've been happy to do so. "O-oh, sorry darlin'. I-I just figured, y'know, since yer out here so much already 'n all, I- I mean, I wasn't sayin' that I'd mind or nothin', but-" Hanzo finally puts his hand over Jesse's mouth, silencing him rather effectively. "So long as you do not cause trouble for me, then I do not mind speaking with you on occasion. Is that satisfactory enough?"

Jesse nodded vigorously, eyes almost hopefully wide. Taking care not to pry too hard with his fingers, Jesse pulled Hanzo's hand off his mouth and grinned. "So, ya want me t' get lost til ya dock next?"

"It would be appreciated." The merman nodded, gave a cheery wave, then dove down into the water, flicking his tail to lightly spray the sailor with sea water. 

The whole exchange was being carefully watched, both from the deck and from the water. Neither party were happy about it. They both wanted to see this thing end right then and there, but they both knew it was doubtful. The captain turned and sauntered back to his private quarters, slugging back his bottle of beer on the way. The second mer watched from the water, silently dipping down into the depths below, silent and swift.

As a predator should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is going to be getting good! We'll learn all about how a merman for whatever reason has a fucking Texas drawl! And gee, I wonder who exactly has a military background with white hair and blue eyes that's suited to leadership. Hmmmm...  
> *studies picture of [Name Redacted]*  
> hmmmmmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmm!!!!!!!


	3. 2 Salty Sea Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry I got behind on this. I'm gonna work really hard to get these next few chapters out, so look out for those in a few weeks. And I'm actually gonna be writing these chapters in advance. I'm super excited for chapter 4!! We get to see my favorite addition! This one's just learning about Jesse's past. I think it's interesting how I've worked it out.

Two and a half weeks later, the usual routine done with, accompanied with some extra glaring and harsh words from the captain, Hanzo finally allowed himself to marginally relax. Jesse had done as he asked and stayed away from the boat, but Hanzo could swear that he'd seen a few flashes of ruddy scales near the water's surface. After the scare at the start of the week, the captain had kept a close eye on him, perhaps trying to gauge how much he was keeping quiet about. As the heir to an entire yakuza clan, Hanzo knew how to keep his mouth shut and his enemies on their toes.

Now he quietly leaned against the railing of the boat, watching the dark eddies below shift and sway. The man wasn't totally sure what he was waiting for. Jesse, yes, but something else nagged at him from a far corner of his mind. Something else was bugging him. 

Still unable to place his finger on what was making him feel so uneasy, Hanzo grunted, leaving the boat to walk out to the dock where he'd met Jesse a month ago. Thinking about something he couldn't figure out wasn't worth the time. That was something that monks and patient men did. Hanzo was neither. He was a lunatic trying to meet a merman after saving him directly from a net, and indirectly from a greedy American slob.

Before he even got to the edge of the dock, Jesse splashed out of the water, sending sea water spraying across the warped, sunbleached boards. "Well now, I can't say I've seen ya 'round these parts. New here, beautiful?" Cheeky. Excessively, but a nice change of pace from cold looks and mutterings of jobless scum. "Clearly not." Hanzo would play along. "I can't say that I can put a name to such a face as yours." Jesse chuckles, and its so innocent. He's missing half of an arm. His whole body is littered with scars. If Hanzo squints, he can spot the glint of a hook stuck in his shoulder. Yet his laugh is so innocent, so sweet... He's stunned into silence. How could this creature sound so lighthearted after what was probably a lifetime of being chased like a beast? 

The reality struck him much harder than it really should have. Fists clenched so hard that little red crescents were pushed into his palm. "Darlin'? You alright?" Inhale. One, two, three, four. Exhale. One two three four, exhale. His hands had stopped their slight shake. "Fine."

"If ya wanna wait, sugar, 'm a patient man. Jus' say so an' I'll leave fer a bit longer. Been by m'self long enough, 'nother couple'a days won't hurt me." Hanzo sat on the edge of the pier, working through the words in his head before answering. It was difficult trying to navigate the conversation with the old-fashioned drawl seeping through each word. But it was endearing. And comforting, in an odd way. "I am fine. Just...surprised." Jesse gave him an odd look, childish and questioning, but not mocking. "It is nothing. Personal observation." He shouldn't have said that. Jesse put on a sly grin, stretching his human half up to the sky. His voice was no more than a low rumble as he began to speak; "How's that, now? Any more _personal observations_ ya wanna talk about?"

How casually he played. A sore reminder of Genji, though not entirely unwelcome. It was soft. At least remotely pleasant. "None that you would want to know of." The ruddy mer chuckled as he slipped himself back into the water. The two triplets of slits on his neck needed dipped down a bit more often than most others. After roaming the Gulf for a while, his whole body was in worse shape than it probably could've been.

Not like he could fix it.

Silence dominated the area, only interrupted by the occasional clank of a crane or keen of a gull hunting for scraps to gorge on. Hanzo noted what seemed to be fresh tears at the corner of Jesse's mouth, ragged though healing. "Have you been trying to eat from fishermen's hooks?" The outgoing man was suddenly meek, cheeks flushing slightly. He'd _tried_. He didn't know how all these fish worked like he did in the Gulf, and he'd had help on the way here. "Obvious?"

"On your mouth." Jesse prodded one corner, flinching at the pain from such a light touch. There was indeed a jagged tatter of skin at the corner of his mouth. He probably should've expected that from this man. Eyes like a hawk. "Never caught yer name, stranger. Care t' tell?"

"Hanzo."

"Hanzo, huh? Anythin' else?"

"Just Hanzo."

"Aw, big fella's shy." Looking at the mer, he was easily double Hanzo's height. Granted, most of his length was in his tail, but still. No use pointing it out. The he'd have to go into details about measurements and increments and length and...things he really didn't care to think on. Not unless he was required to use his bow, tucked tightly into his mattress on the boat.

"Well then, 'Just Hanzo', ya got 'ny family 'round here?" Surprisingly, the mention of family doesn't twist Hanzo's insides like a hurricane. "No. My family lives inland. I am alone here."

"Guess that makes ya lucky t' find me, huh?" _No, no it doesn't. It makes me generally upset and nauseous._ The mer had an odd stink clinging to him, and it made Hanzo's stomach do flips. Foul, but barely there. For the time, it was bearable. "What was with th' big ol' fuss couple weeks ago? When the storm was rollin' in like tumbleweed." Instead of answering, like he should've, Hanzo dumbly blurted out "How do you know what tumbleweed is?" It succeeded in making Jesse laugh. His tail made obnoxious splashing in the water, but his laugh was the same as it had been before. Innocent and fun, not sarcastic at all.

Out of breath, Jesse dipped into the water again before answering. "Same way I got my purty l'il accent. Lived with some folks who knew 'bout those kinds'a things. Now I answered yer question. Would ya be so kind as t' reciprocate?" He was surprisingly articulate on occasion, it seemed. Odd. Odd that he could speak English at all, really. "The ship's captain," Hanzo stated blankly, gesturing to the boat a few dozen meters away. "He was looking over the side of the boat. Looking for you, or one of your kind." 

The merman seemed wholly unsurprised. "Won't doubt it. Folks've been snatchin' us up lots more lately. Almost got caught a couple times 'fore you. Got people goin' after us on purpose, too." Jesse sighed, sinking into the water. "Kills me, y'know. Knowin' how young'uns, bein' how they are, goin' right into one'a them 'n then gettin' stuck in that sick shit. But none of 'em 'd listen t'me." He offered a weak grin. "Dumb ol' mud-colored fish." Certainly not. Hanzo was convinced at this point that Jesse was not only smart, he was downright intelligent. He seemed to understand things Hanzo wasn't totally sure other mers (if there were any) would.

"I apologize if I've struck a nerve."

"Hm? Oh, it ain't nothin' you did, sugar. Jus' thinking 'bout one of my old fish buddies. Helped me outta a bad head spot and kinda looked after me for a while. Ain't seen him in years, though. Had it worse than me fer the color thing. Full on black. Not just his tail, either, real dark skin an' hair too." One brow raised, Hanzo pondered this for a moment. Humans were racist enough. It wasn't exactly a stretch to think that a similar species would be the same, yet it was an odd thought. Mers in legends were never very sociable creatures among themselves. Then again, all those myths probably weren't wholly made while speaking with one of said creatures. If Jesse was anything to go off of, those old myths were correct about appearance, and that was its extent.

The man had to think for a moment before speaking again. He wasn't in a race to come off as insensitive, but he'd do that anyway. "I wouldn't think that you creatures were so particular about one another." Jesse shrugged, fingering the hook lodged in his shoulder for a moment before abruptly yanking it out with a low grunt. "Didn't know they were 'til I met Gabe. Most other ones I talk to like t' brag about all the girls they've done it with, but it took years to get the story of his one lay outta him. Lots of 'em hate dark colors. Fair enough, y'know, but...kinda hurts when yer own kin call ya a freak in front of their kids 'n everything." _I understand that feeling. More than you could possibly fathom._

Even if nobody within the walls of Shimada Castle had dared utter anything to Hanzo but Lord, outside the walls, everyone called him antisocial, apathetic, mean, selfish, some people even went so far as to call him a sociopathic psycho. Not many, but some. Enough. 

Something rumbled that wasn't Jesse's voice. It took Hanzo a moment to realize it was his own growling stomach. He hadn't eaten in a week or so. The merman chuckled, hoisting himself onto the planking to lightly nose into Hanzo's belly. "Sounds like ya got a bit of a party goin' on in there, darlin'." He probably should've eaten the food he'd been given as standard rations during the last trip out to sea, but he'd become slightly paranoid and ended up dumping it into the water after the incident during the storm. "So it would seem."

"Ya wanna fix it an' talk later?" Later? When was later? Tomorrow? Next week? Another month? Why was he being so paranoid about something so insignificant? Without meaning to, Hanzo let out a small whine. Oh yes, that was a story for the bar. The great Shimada Hanzo whined because a fucking fish told him to take care of himself. Masculinity points, minus ten. The pleasant hum suddenly stopped. Hanzo wasn't sure when it'd started, almost didn't realize it was there at all until it stopped. "Shit. Sorry, darlin', it's a...force of habit."

"What is it?"

"Well, most of you land-folk think we sing to ya 'bout promises of fortune an' glory or whatever else, but it's just this thing we do. Singin'. More'f a hum 'r somethin' than a real song, but it'll make you two-legs go weak in the knees an' fuzzy in the head if you ain't been around it a long time. Not sure how it works, jus' does. I won't do it 'round you again, I promise." Without the pleasantly numbing buzz at the base of his skull to keep him relaxed, Hanzo realizes that he'd been slowly leaning towards the water the longer he talked. He jumped back to his feet, as if branded, turned and silently walked to the small town. 

 

Over the course of three months, the captain became less wary of Hanzo, likely forgetting the incident on the boat, and the man himself found that he was growing disgustingly attached to Jesse. 

Every conceivable moment when the boat was docked, Hanzo was talking with Jesse, sitting on the planks and mindlessly chewing little stale scraps he's managed to beg from a dingy restaurant in town while the mer rambled on about any and every topic imaginable, and yet still managed to find more to talk about. Hanzo was happy to listen. After the first slip-up with his singing, Jesse backed off, mostly talking about himself while still not coming off as a self-absorbed prick like many men did. 

Despite typically taking about himself and mers in general, he didn't get very in-detail with his life prior to his wandering. Hanzo thought it might be something interesting, but also knew better than to ask if he wasn't going to give anything up himself. Proper etiquette and all. It didn't stop him from pressing a little here and there. Now, Jesse was talking about how he'd gotten from the Gulf to the waters near Japan, how he'd hitched a ride with a fellow mer. "Big guy he was. Bigger'n any I've ever seen. Called himself Mako. Didn't talk much, but he said he was headin' down to Australia for someone. Guy he'd saved from drowning. Let me come along 'til we had to split. Quite liked him. Strong guy, didn't need t' say much an' let the rest'f 'im do the talkin' for 'im." Hanzo hummed in thought. That sounded like a sight to see. A monster of a merman with a smaller one by his side, the larger remaining quiet and contemplative while the smaller, ruddy scaled merman chatted away without a care.

Another name popped into his mind. One Jesse had mentioned earlier. He wasn't sure if it was okay to ask, but there was no harm in doing so. "You mentioned another one of your kind before. You called him Gabe. Who was he?" The mood abruptly shifted, and it seemed nature was intent on changing with it. While the skies were usually cloudy over the docks, the clouds were beginning to darken, wind picking up and bringing the salty smell of the sea with it. All these months spent working here made Hanzo appreciate the notion of living near the sea.

"Gabe... Well. Guess if I'm gonna tell ya 'bout him, I'm gonna have to go back way further. Probably gonna take a while." Jesse huffed a sigh, grazing the pad of his thumb over Hanzo's clothed leg. His eyes turned but not his head, giving him an almost puppyish look. "Ya gonna be alright listenin' to that whole-" He waved his hand around as he searched for a word. "-eternal damnation?" The land-trapped man chuckled, patting Jesse's uncharacteristically dry hair with a fond smile. "I have listened to most of your ramblings for months now. One more will not hurt me." Jesse softly bit Hanzo's leg through his jeans. "Mean ol' dragon."

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_I hatched out, no mama there lookin' fer me, no papa t' keep me safe. Dunno if that's normal or not, but I didn't quite care then. When I was little, I didn't go far from my little eggshell, bein' the only thing I knew. Think I was about three when I got myself tied in a net. Hadn't seen people, hadn't known about 'em even existin', mind you, so I saw this thing in the water an' I was thinkin' 'Hey, all those fish're in there, maybe I can grab one.' So, got pulled up, saw a human, didn't really know what t' do with m'self, so I kinda stared, and the mister stared back. After a few minutes, he cut me out, put me in the boat, and took me back t' land._

_Still wasn't sure what was goin' on, jus' went with it. Guy was fairly young, dunno how old he was then, but from all I remember he was about mid-twenties. Wrapped me up, put me in 'is wagon with th' one big ol' bay horse tuggin' along an' took me home. Little lady there saw me, practically fallin' apart soon's she saw me. Can't remember much 'bout what they were so upset 'bout no more, but I figure the l'il miss was just surprised 'er husband brought home a ugly little fish boy._

_I remember them talkin' an' talkin' as the guy put me in the little washtub they had in the back. He was tryin' to convince her that she'd be mighty happy carin' for me, she was real upset that he'd think I'd be a good enough son seein' as I wasn't even human, and then the man turned on her an said, real stern but soft-like, "Now Jessabelle, I know that he ain't much to look at, I know he ain't quite human, but I know you been hurtin' since our little boy's buryin'. I found him an' brought him here to keep you company an' keep you happy. I don't want you tryin' to make more children with a broken heart." After that she settled down some, still fussed a little at the mess I made, courtesy of my fishy bits. By the end of the day, she was happy t' wrap me up, hold me close like I was her own flesh 'n blood, lemme suckle like a good baby._ (Here, Hanzo chokes a little on his cheap protein bar at how brazen and open Jesse talked about his mother and what she did for him)

_Next week rolled around 'n I knew 'em as Mama and Papa. Mama's name was Jessabelle, an' Papa's was Amos. They was married, an' they were Jessabelle an' Amos McCree. Papa named me fer my ma, called me Jesse. Takin' that name to my grave, I will._ (Hanzo is dumbstruck. He was certain Jesse had made the name up himself somehow)

_Ma and Pa kept me home, raised me right. Ma eventually had more kids, but she loved me just 's much as she did them. Got a sister and two brothers, little Annie, Colt 'n Phoenix. Colt an' Phoenix were nice enough, but I ended up spendin' more time with Annie accountin' for my fin keepin' me from goin' out an' wrestlin' with my brothers. After Ma 'n Pa died, Colt an' Annie took the house. Annie got married, stayed home, and her husband was awful nice, even if it took a while to get 'im to come around t' the fact that one'a his brother-in-laws was a half-fish. Colt never found the right gal, but as he got older he got to tellin' me a lot that he wished he'd done somethin' more with himself. Always told 'im that bein' himself was good enough for me an' for Ma 'n Pa. Phoenix came back in a box little while later...bless 'im, he was a good kid. Wish I could show ya some'a what I remember. Think you two would'a got along._

_Anyway, then Annie had a few kids, they grew up, had kids, then those 'uns grew up, had kids. It was funny. By the time I got as big as Annie was when she had her first kid, she was an old woman. Sweet old woman. All them kids an' young'uns and their kids were always real nice 'bout keepin' me a secret. Fetched me fresh sea water every day, wrapped my bottom half and stuck me in a shirt if nobody could stay home to watch the place..._ Jesse had a dreamy look on his face, reminiscing about all those years he'd spent with his family. All of that family he'd had, and for what? Getting caught in a net. With a shuddering sigh, Jesse finally continued.

_Guess it should'a been too good to be true. I was a good chunk smaller than I am now, not quite full grown. Family still took care of me, still loved me, still called me Uncle Jess. But one night, outta the blue, one'a the kids woke me up. Don't know how far down the line I was then, but I remember 'is name. River. River kept babblin' for a few minutes, so I told 'im to calm down, tell me what happened. He said he couldn't. Grabbed me, threw me in the back of his rusty old pickup, drove off. I was feelin' awful ornery, then..._ Jesse's eyes went glassy, like he was trying to detach himself from the memory, the feeling. _Big ol' blaze threw up behind the truck. Watched it. Couldn't stop it. I yelled an' screamed at River to turn the truck around, go back, help his mama and his pa and his baby sister get out 'fore the fire got too big. Kid still wouldn't listen. Worked myself raw in that pickup, tearin' at the metal, making real nasty screechin' with my teeth on the body. Made my head pound like ya wouldn't believe, but Riv still never listened._

_Took me out to the beach. I'd seen it a few times when I had to go out with the folks to stay safe, but it wasn't 'nywhere near what it'd been when Pa dragged me outta the water. Riv hopped out after he parked the pickup, tried to get me out. I hardly let him. I don't cry easy, but I was cryin' then. Riv knew that, and I could see it really hurt 'im to see me doin' it, but he still tried t' get me outta the truck. I was rippin' him a new one the whole time, clawin' an' bitin' like an animal to get 'im to go back._

_'Stead, he just dumped me in the shallows, said he was sorry, then drove off again. I couldn't believe it. My own kin. Probably all dead but the one, and damn 'im for bein' such a coward. Couldn't believe it. Just got dumped in the water in a matter of minutes 'cuz of a kid doin' somethin' stupid an' runnin' instead of fixin' it. I don't hold it against him now, but I was kinda hittin' my real sensitive point then._

_Didn't know what else to do. So I started huntin'. Had to figure it out after spendin' so long eatin' from a good pair of hands, but what I was really after was a way to get rid of how ornery I was. I was just...so fuckin' mad at Riv for doin' that. Not to me, I didn't care none about what people said or did about or to me. I was mad because he just up an' left the rest of his family jus' 'cuz of somethin' dumb. Sure I might'a died if he hadn't but y'know what? I didn't care then, an' still don't._

_An' that put me in a bad head space. I'd watched the family grow up an' go through bad spots for years. Knew the signs, knew what to look for, but I didn't ever realize it was happenin' to me. Bashed on random big fish 'cuz they got in my way. Took bites outta what I ate an' then left the poor things t' die. I was a bat outta hell, an' nothin' was gonna get in my way._

_Prior to meetin' Gabe, that is. I wandered a bit too far east, still feelin' shitty, an' I bumped into the first mer I ever seen in my life past me. Thought for the longest time that I was just a strange l'il baby the ocean never really meant to have, so it was a little eye-openin' to see another one'a my kind. Like I said, though...bad head space. Gabe had that kind'a personality that made 'im seem like he thought of 'imself real high. Pissed me off way too easy. Went at him, came back with a black eye, blood outta my nose, and wounded pride. Gabe told me if he saw me again, he'd be liable to kill me. Still didn't care. So I just floated around in that area 'til I saw him again._

_Tried fightin' but I couldn't make myself. I didn't think I liked him, didn't have any kind of inclination towards him. I jus' felt exhausted. Like I'd been swimmin' for too long. Gabe picked up on that. Turns out I was awful tired and hadn't been eatin' enough. So I sorta settled down to die under a rock, since that's what it felt like, an' when I woke up next mornin', there was a little pile'a fish waitin' on me. All the same, but I figured it was better'n nothin'. Went on like that fer about a month until Gabe an' I got face to face again._

_I was still feelin' like a rowdy teenager, but cooled off enough to hear what he wanted to say. Said he didn't want me to be a danger to him, that he wouldn't mind lettin' me live with him so long's I toned down the big alpha crap. Figured that was better than wanderin' more, so I did what he said. Tried to. He helped. Gabe kinda...turned into a new daddy. Helped me straighten my head out. I got to like him a lot._

_He was an ass sometimes, real sarcastic, but he knew what to do when I got overly pissed off or 'fragile', like he called it. Helped me to get back to livin' in the water. Helped me find Jesse McCree again, 'stead of the mean ol' brat that got dumped in the water. Then..._

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Then what?" Hanzo couldn't handle the suspense gripping his chest. Ashamed as he was to admit it, he was hanging onto every word of Jesse's story. Something in him wouldn't allow this question to stay unanswered. Jesse forced a grin, obviously painful to him. "Nothin'. We parted ways after a while. 'S no big deal." It _seemed_ like a big deal. But, the subject was clearly making Jesse uncomfortable. So Hanzo decided to change it. "How did you lose your arm?" Jesse looked at his scarred stump and he seemed torn between looking ashamed and looking proud. "Remember that spot between gettin' dumped an' meetin' Gabe? How I'd pick on bigger fish? Well... Wasn't payin' attention. Big ol' mama shark tryin' to find somewhere to have 'er pups an' I wandered a bit close, growled at her, an... There's a shark in the Gulf that's had an arm in her gullet." 

Hanzo couldn't stop himself. He laughed. Actually just... _laughed_. For the first time since who knew when, the grand and stoic Shimada Hanzo was able to not worry about anything for split second. When he recalled himself, he had to shake the laughter from him, but when he looked back, Jesse was looking at him with the widest, most reverent eyes Hanzo could say he'd ever been regarded with. "Shoot... Darlin', that's the most beautiful laugh I ever heard." The merman's hand rested on Hanzo's thigh while the remainder of his other arm rested on the wood planks. "Wish I could hear more of it..."

Smooth talking fish. If Hanzo ever thought a stranger thing, he'd impale himself on one of his own arrows. 

Although his laid-back, relaxed nature reminded Hanzo of Genji, there was something in it that was the complete opposite of his brother. Genji liked to be all over the place, doing everything he could at once. Jesse was...involved. He didn't want everything he could get his hands on. At the moment, it seemed, the only thing he was after was Hanzo. And the very notion of such a thing made the normally detached man feel a spark of warmth in his chest.

"'Ey... Hanzo?"

"Hm?"

"Can I...can I kiss ya?" Hanzo blinked several times. Was this really how he wanted to lose his life? Allured by this sweet, smooth-talking, rugged, one-armed, drawling half-fish into the water to drown? ...It would be better than being caught by his clan and forced back to endure what he'd had to before this. "If you choose to." Jesse seemed intent. He pushed himself up as far as he could, easily leveling his head with Hanzo's, barely put his lips forward and they were kissing. Very lightly, chaste, like this was someone he'd just met. Hanzo wanted to chase it as Jesse pulled away, only having experienced this sort of thing a handful of times. 

"Good enough, sugar?"

"Excellent."


End file.
